Volume 15 (2014): Issue 1 (March 2014)

The real-time knowledge of information concerning traffic light junctions represents a valid solution to congestion problems with the main aim to reduce, as much as possible, accidents. The Red Light Running (RLR) is a behavioural phenomenon that occurs when the driver must to choose to cross (or not) the road when the traffic light changes from green to yellow. Most of the time the drivers cross even during transitions from yellow to red and, as a consequence, the possibility of accidents increases. This often occurs because the drivers wait too much in the traffic light queue as a consequence of the fact that the traffic light is not well balanced. In this paper we propose a technique that, based on information gathered through a wireless sensor network, dynamically processes green times in a traffic light of an isolated intersection. The main aim is to optimise the waiting time in the queue and, as a consequence, reduce the RLR phenomenon occurrence.

Traffic congestion problem has been noticed to have a serious impact on the economy of the country in terms of time wastage, energy consumption costs, human loss and environmental effects. Different strategies have been used so far all over the world as shown in the literature review. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is a multi-technology approach that can help to handle the issues and create a complete congestion reduction framework. This paper presents a case study for implementing automated road management system using networks in Tanzania, where three cities highly affected by traffic congestion have been studied. Study results show that these cities have not yet implemented new technologies in road traffic management; instead the traffic is controlled using traffic police officers and traffic lights only. The traffic lights use an old technology that cannot manage traffic in relation to the real-time situations. This study proposes components for a framework, which will assist automation in road traffic management. From the review of various existing ITS of which Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) and Advanced Travel Information System (ATIS) are subsystems, we have identified the possibility to integrate the two sub-systems within the framework. Three-phase traffic theory has been referred, FOTO and ASDA models are applied to the automatic recognition and tracking of congested spatiotemporal traffic patterns on roads.

This research is devoted to discovering of spatial effects in European airports’ partial factor productivity (PFP). A set of study PFP indicators includes infrastructural (air transport movements per runway), labour (workload units per employee), and financial (revenue and profit per workload unit) ratios. We utilised a number of appropriate statistical tests (Moran’s I., Geary’s C., Mantel test, and spatial auto-regression) for revelation of spatial relationships between PFP indicator’s values. The tests were separately applied to samples of Spanish (2009-2010) and UK airports (2011-2012) and provided evidences of significant spatial effects in data.

Software architecture design plays the key role for logistics and transport software engineering. One of the design approaches is to reuse the architectural patterns, which express a fundamental structural organization of software systems and its behaviour. The usage of the proven and tested solutions allows us to increase the software quality and reduce potential risks.

In this paper the technique that allows selecting and evaluating suite of architectural patterns is proposed. It can be used for logistics and transportation software, which is constructed using Multi-tier architecture. The technique allows us to consistently evaluate the impact of specific patterns to software characteristics with a given functionality. Effectiveness and efficiency of the described method is confirmed by a case study.

The dynamic management of traffic light cycles is a really interesting research issue considering modern technologies, which can be used in order to optimise road junctions and then improve living conditions of the roads. Wireless sensor networks represent the most suitable technology, as they are easy to deploy and manage. The data relating to road traffic flows can be detected by the sensor network and then processed through the innovative approach, proposed in this work, in order to determine the right green times at traffic lights. Although wireless sensor networks are characterized by very low consumption devices, the continuous information transmission reduces the life cycle of the whole network. To this end, the proposed architecture provides a technique to power the sensor nodes based on piezoelectric materials, which allow producing potential energy taking advantage of the vibration produced by the passage of vehicles on the road.

This work has focused on using of Bee Algorithm and Artificial Bee Colony algorithm for solution the inverse problem of subsurface radar probing in frequency domain. Bees Algorithms are used to minimize the aim function. Tree models of road constructions and their characteristics have been used for solution of the subsurface radar probing inverse problem. There has been investigated the convergence of BA and ABC algorithms at minimisation of the aim function of the inverse problem of radar subsurface probing of roadway structures. There has been investigated the impact of free arguments of BA and ABC algorithm, width of the frequency range and width of the searching interval on the error of reconstruction of electro-physical characteristics of layers and duration of algorithm operating. There has been investigated the impact of electro-physical characteristics of roadway structure layers and width of the frequency range on aim function of radar pavement monitoring inverse problem.

This paper describes the initial findings of research project “The Possibilities of Increasing Efficiency of City Bus Hybrid Propulsion Systems by Including Wireless Battery Charging” carried out by „LEO Research Centre” (Competency Centre for Latvian Electrical and Optical Manufacturing Industry). The project is aimed at developing wireless charging and optimising electric bus propulsion system for modern urban transportation applications. The project runs from the beginning of the 2013 until the end of 2015 and focuses on the sub-theme “Energy and Sustainable Transport”.